Apply for an Expedited Appointment

Overview

If you have an unforeseen travel need as per one of the criteria listed below, you may qualify for an expedited appointment depending on availability at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate. It is important to ensure you meet all the criteria, because applicants are only allowed to create one expedited appointment request.

Qualifications

Before you apply for an expedited appointment, you must ensure that you have documentary evidence to prove the urgency. If it appears during your visa interview that you misrepresented the reasons for expedited travel, such facts will be noted on your case file and may adversely influence the outcome of your visa application. All applicants requesting an expedited appointment are required to first pay visa fees for a regular visa appointment. Applicants who are granted an expedited appointment but subsequently refused a visa or who or missed their interview at the U.S. Embassy/Consulate will not be allowed to utilize this option to obtain another expedited appointment.

The following types of travel do not qualify for an expedited appointment: attending weddings, attending graduation ceremonies, assisting pregnant relatives, attending cultural exchange events, attending business training, participating in annual business/academic/professional conferences, and enjoying last-minute tourism. For such travel, please schedule a regular visa appointment well in advance.

Medical Needs

Purpose of travel is to obtain expedited medical care, to accompany a relative for expedited medical care, or to visit a relative suffering from an immediate, life-threatening medical condition.

Essential documentation:

A letter from your doctor in the Philippines describing the medical condition and why you are seeking medical care in the United States.

A letter from the physician or hospital in the United States indicating that they are prepared to treat the case and providing the approximate cost of the treatment.

Evidence of how you will pay for the cost of the treatment.

Funeral/Death

Purpose of travel is to attend the funeral of or make arrangements for repatriating the body of an immediate family member (mother, father, brother, sister, child, grandparent, or grandchild) in the United States.

Essential documentation:

A letter from the funeral director stating the contact information, the details of the deceased and the date of the funeral.

You must also present evidence that the deceased is an immediate relative.

Urgent Business Travel

An expedited appointment would be appropriate when the purpose of travel is to attend to an urgent business matter where the travel requirement could not be predicted in advance. Attending training, sales meetings or conferences is not considered urgent business travel.

Essential documentation:

A letter of invitation from the corresponding company in the United States attesting to the urgency of the planned visit, describing the nature of the business and explaining why the applicant’s presence is essential.

Students or exchange visitors

The purpose of travel is to return to the U.S. to attend classes or resume working in a timely manner. We expect students and temporary workers to make every effort to schedule regular appointments during their planned stays in the Philippines. However, in limited cases, the Embassy will consider expedited appointments for these types of travel. A list of documentary requirements for students and temporary workers can be found on the U.S. Embassy Manila website.

Essential documentation:

Original Form I-20 or DS-2019 indicating start date of program within 60 days.

Evidence that you have paid the SEVIS fee (when applicable).

ESTA Denied

You may request an expedited visa appointment if you are a citizen of a Visa Waiver Program partner but have received notice that you are no longer eligible to travel to the United States under that program. Such travelers include those who are dual nationals of Iraq, Iran, Sudan or Syria, or those who have travelled to Iraq, Iran, Sudan, Syria, Libya, Yemen, or Somalia after March 1, 2011. Your travel must be imminent to qualify for an expedited appointment. Please include in your request the date and purpose of your travel.

Essential documentation:

A copy of the U.S. Customs and Border Protection message you received regarding your ESTA status.

How to Apply

Schedule an appointment online for the earliest available date. Please note that you must schedule an appointment before you can request an expedited date. At the time you schedule your appointment, you will see an onscreen message showing the earliest available appointment date, which includes expedited appointments. Accordingly, you may find that it is not necessary to request an expedited appointment because there are regular dates available. If you wish to proceed with requesting an expedited appointment, then complete the Request Form or contact the call center to request assistance. Please be sure to note the criteria you believe qualifies you for an expedited appointment. Once you have submitted your request, please wait for a response from the U.S. Embassy/Consulate, which will come via email.

Step 4

If the U.S. Embassy/Consulate approves your request then you will receive an email alerting you to schedule your expedited appointment online. Please understand that the call center cannot schedule your expedited appointment for you, but agents are able to assist you if questions arise. Should the U.S. Embassy/Consulate deny your request for an expedited appointment, you will be notified of the denial by email and you should keep your existing appointment.

Note: The email confirming or denying your request will come from no-reply@ustraveldocs.com. Some email applications have rules which filter unknown senders into a spam or junk mail folder. If you have not received your email notification, please look for the message in your junk and spam email folders.

Step 5

Visit the U. S. Embassy/Consulate on the date and time of your visa interview. You will need to bring a printed copy of your appointment letter, your DS-160 confirmation page, one recent photograph, your current passport and all old passports. Applications without all of these items will not be accepted.

The U.S. Department of State's Bureau of Consular Affairs website and Consular Post websites are the definitive sources of visa information. Should there be discrepancies in content, the Consular Affairs website and Consular Post websites take precedence.